Paper Princes
by sodafly
Summary: "Rumors of your harsh behavior towards suitors is known far and wide Prince Malik." Altair said as he held out a hand to help the young prince down from his horse. "Has it now? Tell me Prince Altair, do you seek to change those rumors?" Malik replied.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Uh, just another AU, I hope you enjoy it. Reviews are always welcomed with open arms. **

The kingdom of Masyaf was alive with the cries of merchants and haggling citizens which crowded the markets. The sun had long since risen over the steep horizon or the hilly city and the day was running its usual hectic yet somehow steady pace. As said, Masyaf is a highland kingdom, the houses and buildings of every rich colour of the earth spiralling up the steep slopes. The city had no walls, only the large stone gateway at the foot of the mountain pass, but it was surrounded by a gorge which promised certain death if anyone was unfortunate enough to fall from the cliff face. But risen above the town of colour and spice was the palace fortress which loomed over all at the very top of the Masyaf mountain.

"Altair!"

"_Altair!" _

"Altair where in the name of Allah are you?"

Adha called as she ran through the palace corridors, the skirt of her dress hitched up in her hands so that she did not fall over. The bells at her waist jingled as she flung the doors leading out onto the master's private garden and hopped out over the warm tiles. It was not regular for a simple servant and dancer woman to be trusted to convey a message, but if anyone could find Altair it would be Adha.

"There you are." Adha sighed as he came to a stop underneath one of the palace's tall towers over looking the gorge. Silhouetted against the sunlight was the young prince, sat on the high ledge of the tower with his legs dangling over the rim. It was a wonder how Altair had managed to get so high, but everyone knew he was a skilled climber and a daring bravado.

"Altair I have been looking for you everywhere!" Adha shouted, gathering all of the wind into her lungs and cupping her hands around her mouth in order to amplify the sound.

"Adha I'm glad you're here, you should come up here and join me" Altair's reply was faint even though it had been shouted from such a height. Adha frowned, placing her hands on her hips and shaking her head up at the other.

"Al Mualim wishes to see you; apparently there has been a word from Jerusalem."

No reply came but Adha could see the figure of the prince moving a top of the tower. Suddenly the prince was air born, arms out spread as he leaped through the tower ledge, falling and twisting in the air with a grace of an eagle. Adha gasped as he landed safely within the haystack at the foot of the tower. Altair popped out of the hay with an impish grin on his face and a completely innocent look in his eye.

"One day you will hurt yourself doing that." Adha sighed, shaking her head as her heart pounded against her ribs. Altair only chuckled, brushing hay from his silk robes and proceeding to stroll lazily up towards the Palace.

"Nonsense, I will be fine. Now what is this about Jerusalem?"

"I do not know but I am sure you will tell me provided that you are allowed. Maybe it is about that _charming_ prince they keep hidden there." Adha teased nudging the Masyaf Prince in the ribs.

Altair sighed, shoulders sagging as he bowed his head. The many conversations he had had with Al Mualim concerning the Prince of Jerusalem was tiring and even hearing the name of the city was beginning to become grating. One moment they should be pursuing the Prince, the next they should be keeping as far away from that kingdom as physically possible. The Prince of Jerusalem was growing notorious throughout the land for his stubborn behaviour and terrible habit of insulting and rejecting any suitor which came within a mile radius of the city gates, no matter how rich or powerful.

"Hopefully Al Mualim will have come to a decisions over affairs concerning Jerusalem and we shall be done with it, these conversations are becoming tedious." Altair sighed, walking through the opened doorway and disappearing up the steps towards Al Mualim's study.

"So this is where you have been hiding brother"

Malik looked up from his book at the sound of his brother's voice. Kadar smiled, vaulting over the low wooden wall and lounging back against the hay with his older brother. The idea of the two princes of Jerusalem lounging in a horse stable was preposterous, and the exact reason why Malik took to hiding away within the soft hay.

"If you have come to gossip about my recent suitor then please little brother, proceed to stuff the hay in your mouth and be gone." Malik said blandly, returning his gaze to the book laid open across his crossed knees.

" No, but father does wish to see you." Malik sighed, flipping his book closed and tugged up the hood of his long, simple black robes before climbing to his feet. His expensive, princely robes had been replaced with simple robes similar to that of a scholar so unwanted attention was not drawn to him when walking through the city. Well most of the time attentions was not drawn to him, but the fact that he had only one arm did sometimes attract the wrong sort of attention from the wrong sort of people.

Kadar carried Malik's book as they walked through the city, much to Malik's protest. The streets of the rich district were cramped with servants fetching food of their masters and mistresses buying richly embroidered rugs to furnish their homes and please their husbands. The strong smell of spice and incense wafted through the air, mixing with the cries of merchants and the chatter of passersby's. No one paid attention to what appeared to be two young scholars walking through the streets, merely moved aside to let them pass without a fuss.

"So, the Prince of Italia joins the long list." Kadar prompted looking anywhere but his brother's direction as he felt the heated glare drive into the side of his skull.

"What did I just say about gossiping?"

"We're not gossiping, we are discussing...besides I could always ask the kitchen servants who are most certainly liable to gossip."

"Fine, fine we may talk about the Prince of Italia and his overbearing nature." Malik sighed in defeat, resisting the urge to growl at his younger brother's insistence.

The crowd thinned as they took the route leading up towards the palace gates, the high walls and domed ceiling of the majestic building already coming into view above the market stalls.

"I thought he was charming, and he showed his liking towards you more than previous suitors. Those birds he bought you were magnificent" Kadar said with wonder, eyes wide with an almost dream like expression on his face.

Malik huffed under his breath giving his brother a disgusted look. Yes the birds had been magnificent but their feathers had shed all over the floor of Malik's chambers and they sung noisly into the early hours. Eventually, angry with lack of sleep and little patience at the result of the birds and their gift bearer, Malik had batted away the drapes and shooed the creatures out of his bedroom windows. They had been found in the morning sitting about the palace grounds, eating the food straight off people's plates as they breakfasted in the gardens.

Rolling his eyes Malik threw his arm up in frustration. "He was over bearing and childish and seemed to enjoy flirting with anything with a skirt on then actually having an intelligent conversation with me. I'm surprised the boy could even dress himself without assistance opposed to successfully ruling a kingdom by my side."

"He was only three years younger than you Malik, hardly a boy."

"He may be an adult in age but he was a boy in mentality."

It was Kadar's turn to roll his eyes at his older brother's behaviour as they came to a stop besides the palace walls. They had managed to effectively sneak passed the guards and all that was left to do was to scale the walls and return to the Palace. For once, Malik did not protest as Kadar offered him a leg up, allowing his brother to hoist him up and scramble on top of the wall. When he was safely straddled over the warm stone, Malik reached his hand down and helped to pull Kadar up alongside him before they both swung their legs over and landed on the soft grass of the Palace gardens.

"To be honest brother, I'm surprised father even bothers trying to marry you off anymore; I think you would be much happier if you were left to your own devices." Kadar whispered as the two discarded their scholar robes and revealed the expensive silk ones hidden underneath.

"Unfortunately that cannot be so little brother." Malik whispered back, failing to hide the glumness which laced his words. Shaking his head, Malik quickly ruffled his brother's hair and pushed a smile onto his face.

"No, you must return to your studies little brother, and hopefully there shall be no more talk about marriage today." Kadar scowled but bounded away nonetheless, eager to return to the library before his tutor noticed his absence. Malik watched him go until the tails of his cloak disappeared behind one of the pillars

Smoothing out his robes, Malik preceded up the staircase towards his father's study. He met the odd servant on his way, each one of them bowing their head in his presence before fluidly moving on their way without a word. The only one who felt uneasy was the young prince as he neared the open doors to his father's study. All they seemed to talk about these days were suitors, about marriage, about Malik's stubbornness and lack of understanding to the situations and frankly he was not in the mood for another scolding or forced courtship. It was exhausted and staining on both father and son's behalf.

Wrapping his knuckles of the open door, Malik lingered in the doorway to the grand study. His father, Faheem Al-Sayf, was hunched over his desk engrossed in writing what appeared to be a very long letter and Malik bit the inside of his cheek as his father looked up.

"Malik, we have been looking everywhere for you, come in we must talk." Faheem said with a smile as he leaned back into his chair and beckoned his eldest son into the room. Malik entered as the few servants in the room departed and shut the door behind them, giving the two men privacy when in reality the servants would only be standing with their ears pressed against the other side of the door.

"If this is about the Prince of Italia, I have no regrets about the way I treated him and I shall not be writing a letter of apology to him." Malik said, laying his arm over his chest as if to cross his arms but failing since he only had the one as he sat. Faheem pursed his lips and sighed at his son's stubbornness.

"Luckily the Prince was not offended by your actions and has not requested a letter of apology from you; however it is of a different Prince we must speak about." Malik resisted the urge to sigh and sink further into the chair like a bored teenagers.

Talk of Princes and Princesses and of kingdoms wishing for his hand was dull. Malik found his eyes lingering to the open window, looking out at the bright sky lit up by the yellow sun as his father spoke. He watched the birds spiralling in the sky wishing to feel the wind beneath their wings and the freedom of their flight. When he had shooed the song birds from his chambers a couple of nights before, Malik had watched them flutter into the night sky and wished to join them and fly over far away mountains.

"I have been in contact with Masyaf and they have agreed to let you stay there for a period of courtship with their young prince Altair Ibn-La'Ahad." Malik was roughly shoved out of his daydream by calm words blazing his ears.

"You wish to send me away to a Kingdom I know nothing about to play suitor to a prince I have no interest in? I refuse father." Malik snapped.

"I'm afraid you have no choice in the matter Malik. Prince Altair will be arriving in a matter of days to visit the city and you shall be leaving with him when he departs."

"The prince may come, but he shall be leaving empty handed." It appeared that something in Malik's tone triggered something within Faheem since he suddenly slammed the palms of his hands down onto the desk with a thundering bang.

"Do you not understand me boy? You shall be going even if I have to allow the guards to bundle you in a sack and haul you there. You do not seem to understand the seriousness of this Malik, you must marry whether you like it or not and I have been good enough to allow you to chose your partner instead of arranging it myself for personal benefit." Malik opened his mouth in interject but his father had not yet finished speaking.

"As eldest son and heir to the throne it is your duty to marry, especially since you have no interest in women and thus will not be providing an heir for the kingdom it is vital you marry into another family in order to secure your position. We have been over and over this Malik yet you _still _do not seem to understand this!"

Malik tensed his jaw and held back the snide back chat which was welling in his throat. He understood perfectly well, but that did not mean he was willing to comply. Instead he blinked, rising to his feet and walking over to the window to feel the breeze brush against his face.

"Will Kadar be coming with me?" He asked quietly feeling hollow.

"No, your brother has studies he must attend to and your absence from the kingdom will serve to him a valuable lesson in royal responsibilities."

Turning sharply away from the window, Malik glared at his father as the rage in his stomach failed to hide itself.

"So you are sending me away to an unknown kingdom without even a familiar face to confide to. If this is a punishment then please father, do not be so cruel."

"This is no punishment, but maybe these so called cruel actions will serve as a lesson to you and your self righteous attitude." Faheem shouted at his son who turned his face away and bit down harshly on his bottom lip.

"You will not be going alone. A selection of the palace guard is going with you and I know you are friendly with your personal guardsman. I'm sure Kadar will write to you."

The calmer tone of his father after a moment of silence did nothing to calm Malik's frustration. Yet again he felt like he was being used. Masyaf was a powerful position and could easily block off trading routes, also the highland ground served as a useful territory to have during battle situations and was known for its impenetrable fortress. It would be a useful ally to have and even more useful when concreted by the foundations of marriage.

"How long until the Prince's arrival?"

"It is a three day ride, so it would be four days at the most."

Malik nodded.

"I do not look forward to the event, now you must excuse me father their are duties I must attend to." Without waiting for his father's consent, Malik bowed slightly at the waist and departed swiftly. The servants hurried clumsily away from the door as it was flung open and a very angry Prince Malik came storming out.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Look what I found whilst cleaning out my documents. Oh how could I forget about this, well you wait no longer as here is the second update finally. Updates may still be slow as I have exams over the next month, but I'll try not to loose it so much this time. Thank you for being patient and for the reviews I got in my absence, I hope you enjoy. **

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><p>The night in Jerusalem was chilly and Malik pulled his woollen cloak tighter around his body. The moon was high and the sky alight with stars which shone down upon the city, lining the domes of grand mosques with silver ribbon. Smoke which curled from houses across all three districts looked blue against the navy sky and Malik wondered what was happening down where the amber fire light still glowed within the streets. Looking out towards the large fires which burned on top of the city gates, Malik let out a long winded sigh.<p>

"I swear that one day you will wander off and not come back." Malik jumped with surprise, twisting sharply to see his brother hauling himself up onto the wall alongside him. He was dressed in rich linen and looked like he had been woken from sleep as he sat down at Malik's side.

"Kadar what the hell are you doing? Why are you even awake?" Malik half scolded, knowing full well that he was being a hypocrite.

"I could easily ask you the same question." Kadar said matter-of-factly, giving Malik a look as he shivered. Rolling his eyes , Malik unwrapped his cloak and draped it over Kadar's shoulders so that they were both huddled beneath it.

"I guess I'm enjoying my last free night within these city walls." Tomorrow the convoy from Masyaf would be arriving and soon Malik would be whisked away across the Holy Land to play toy to some new suitor.

"You make it sound like you will be gone forever, when really; as soon as that moon is full again you shall be back upon this wall with many stories to tell us" Kadar said snuggling up to his brother's side and pulling his half of the cloak tighter around himself.

"Maybe even a wedding to prepare for." Kadar added in a whisper.

" I doubt that"

"Please give him a chance brother. He may be different from the rest and I know that you are fed up of being alone." Malik looked down at his brother's face pressed into his side, eyes closed with a small smile on his face. He wanted to protest against the statement but inside he knew Kadar was right, Malik felt alone and misunderstood and in need of the comfort provided by a stranger. Smiling, Malik slipped his arm around his brother and ruffled his hair affectionately.

"I shall miss you very much little brother." Malik said, ducking his head and pulling Kadar closer to him. Kadar smiled, wrapping his arms around Malik in brotherly embrace, burying his head in the other's shoulder.

"And I will miss you too brother."

* * *

><p>Jerusalem was buzzing with excitement. The merchant took full advantage of the masses of people piling into the streets , selling their stock to all those who prepared to welcome the procession soon to be winding through the streets. Thieves and pickpockets also took advantage, cutting the purses from unaware citizens too intoxicated with anticipation to notice. Those who could not get out onto the streets gathered in the windows of their houses and cramped into roof gardens in the hope of catching a glimpse of the new suitor making his way to the palace gates.<p>

Altair looked out at the bulging crowds swarming the narrow streets. They were mesmerized by the parade of armoured guards and dancing girls all dressed in fine ceremonial clothing. The crowd looked upon Altair as he passed upon his horse, surrounded by the royal guard but still visible to those he wished to see him, surprised to see him riding upon horseback but awed by his rich clothing and aura of power. It made a nervous feeling bubble in the prince's stomach. It had been a very long time since he had courted a suitor and he wasn't quite sure what to do with himself.

"You look nervous my Prince." One of Altair's personal guardsmen said, almost teasingly as they neared the open palace gates. Altair looked up at the tall walls and the sparkling domed palace which captured the sunlight perfectly within its features.

"That's because I am" The guard chuckled patting the young prince lightly on the back.

"You shouldn't be my Prince; you already have more than half the cities women fawning over you so I'm sure this shall not be so difficult."

"Yes, but you forget that I'm here to court a Prince, not street women." And this prince was notorious for his harsh treatment towards suitors and Altair's lack of experience in this area wasn't going to help his favour.

The procession ground to a halt at the Palace gates, the dancers and guards peeling off to gather by the wall leaving Altair and a group of his royal guardsmen to lead through. Altair gazed up at the palace. The courtyard had been decorated for the occasion, bright ribbons of silk lining the pathway and coloured lanterns unlit hung from wooden poles. Halfway up the courtyard was a group of three men each sat on horses which were dressed in ceremonial gear much like Altair's , their rich clothing already visible to the eye. Swallowing hard, Altair gently kicked his horse up into a walk and his guardsmen followed neatly to his side.

"Greetings Prince Altair, I trust your journey here was a safe one." The eldest of the trio said warmly as Altair came to a stop in front of them. Obviously this was King Faheem, judging by his thin golden crown which sat upon his greying hair. His face was thin and strong set, a large beard framing his jaw and once upon a time he would have been a very handsome man. Altair bowed his head and lowered his hood in humble greeting.

"Our journey went well, although you must forgive my men's tiredness from the ride. I must thank you again for welcoming us into your home your highness."

"Of course and allow me to introduce my sons, Prince Kadar and Prince Malik." Faheem gestured to the two much younger men mounted at his right.

The first was the younger Prince Kadar with short black hair, tanned skin and boyish features of a man who had only just broken out of puberty. His dazzling blue eyes were soft as he bowed his head to Altair, the sunlight catching in the thin silver ban which went around his forehead. Altair nodded his head in return.

The second Prince was positioned in the middle between his younger brother and father. Altair lifted his head to look him over and locked straight away with an intense glare from charcoal eyes. Prince Malik was as handsome as the rumours had suggested, with features very similar to his brother's apart from his sharper cheekbone and set jaw line, a neatly groomed goatee framed his pointed chin. A crown of weaved silver and hints of gold sat upon his brow. He wore ceremonial robes of white with twists of gold thread weaved across the hems to create a fancy border to his agile frame. The sleeve of his left arm was pinned up and Altair made a point of not staring at it for too long.

Unlike his brother and his father, Malik did not bow his head in greeting, merely glared with distaste at Altair, his mind already settled on its decision. Altair's throat went dry under the scrutiny and he nodded his head only to escape the gaze for a couple of seconds.

"A pleasure to meet you and your family Prince Malik." Altair said, suddenly remembering the lines he had rehearsed with Al Mualim before setting upon this journey.

"Really, I shall decide if it has been a pleasure meeting you Prince Altair once I know more about your character." The silence was only broken by the sound of shifting horses as everyone around Malik and Altair exchanged uneasy glances. The two princes stared at each other as the tension curled between them.

The sound of Faheem clearing his throat broke the silence.

"Shall we dismount and continue inside, I'm sure you and your men are in need of food and rest Prince Altair."

"Yes that would be most welcome your majesty." Altair replied as the company dismounted. Giving his horse a gentle stroke on the neck, Altair slipped through the group to come to a stop besides the Prince of Jerusalem's black horse.

"Rumours of your harsh behaviour towards suitors is known far and wide Prince Malik." Altair said as he held a hand out to help the young prince down from his horse.

"Is it now? Tell me Prince Altair, do you seek to change those rumours?" Malik replied, dismissing the help and leaving the Prince of Masyaf dumb-found as he dismounted. Altair stood there, watching as the prince walked back up to the palace without even looking back at him.

"You must excuse my brother's behaviour." Altair turned to see the younger prince Kadar stood to his side, a gentle hand placed upon his shoulder as they began to walk. "The novelty of suitors has worn thin on him. He is soft hearted once you get to know him."

"I'm afraid I will exhaust myself trying to even scratch the surface with him. I am not as experienced in this as I imagine his previous suitors are" Altair sighed. Kadar smiled at him, as if pleased by the confession.

"Surely a reward is much more cherishing when you have worked for it?" Altair mused over the statement. It was not something a wealthy prince would often say, seeing as it was very rare that sons of wealthy families would even have to work for anything they wanted. Kadar only chuckled.

"Come, enjoy your stay here for the time being, you will have plenty of time to court my brother in the days to come. "

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><p>A great feast had been lain out in one of the palace's halls. Food had been spread out across the low table, decorated with candles and plush deep red cushions covered the floor. Servants ferried back and forth with food and jugs of wine and waited silently to the side ready to tend to any needs of the men gathered before them. The guards had been given a meal in one of the other halls along with the rest of the processions which had accompanied Altair through the city.<p>

Of course Malik and Altair were forced to sit together upon the cushions, with Kadar settled at his brother's other side as their father and some council members sat across from them. Altair's head guardsman had been permitted to sit at his master's side as an act of comfort in an unknown place even if he didn't say anything.

So far Altair was surprising Malik. The Masyaf prince had not said much about his personal achievements or about his kingdom and frankly was doing a poor job of selling himself. He spoke politely when spoken to but otherwise stayed silent and Malik could feel the tension coiling his limps as they sat together. He was nervous and that alone made Malik smirk.

"It is good to finally welcome you here Prince Altair, for some time I was certain that Al Mualim no longer wished to marry you off." Faheem said as the men dug into their food. Altair chew and swallowed, allowing himself time to deliberate on an answer.

"Al Mualim has always been eager to wed me and he is fond of Jerusalem, it only seemed fitting that he should send me here."

"So certain a marriage will even happen." Malik muttered the statement under his breath and quickly stuffed pita bread into his mouth.

"Is there something you wish to add Malik?" Faheem asked testily all too familiar with Malik quick snide jabs during dinner. Malik smiled sweetly once he had swallowed.

"I was merely stating that Prince Altair must hold his guardian in such high regard." Malik's side glance was almost challenging. Altair smiled as he gathered lentils and hummus together in his pita bread.

"Indeed, and I'm sure he'll take a shine to you Prince Malik, he does like a man with an opinion." Malik bristled at the resort, discreetly nudging Kadar in the ribs when he heard his brother start to snigger. Even Faheem seemed amused as he took a sip of wine.

"My son is certainly opinionated although he's wise enough to know when to _hold_ his tongue."

There was silence in the hall, the same uneasy silence that fell upon them whenever a suitor came to dine with them. Everyone from the King to the servants were waiting for Malik's deadly blow to the pride of whoever was sat next to him, bringing the dinner to a close as either the eldest son or the intended proceeded to storm out. However Malik just sat there calmly and under the impression that his eldest son was not going to make a scene, Faheem pulled Altair and the rest of his council into a discussion of current affairs. It was simple practise to judge the suitors intelligence and knowledge of the political ropes as a stupid king was often a bad one. Malik would also be sucked into this conversation which often served as the best time to make jibes and comments on his partner's intelligence, but Kadar caught his attention with a gentle tuck to the hem of his ceremonial robes.

"I do believe the new prince managed to silence you." He said quietly if not teasingly.

"Hush brother." Malik hissed in return.

"I'm just saying he's the first person who has ever made you shut your mouth when in the firing zone. That has got to be worth something?" Malik turned his head to regard his brother, leaning closer to him as to conceal their conversation.

"You forget that I must live with him for a period of courtship, unfortunately there is no such easy way out of this like said new suitor storming out in an offended rage. Besides there is plenty of time for another battle of wits to commence; and I intend to win like always."

Kadar huffed in amusement. There was no doubt that Altair was in for the fight of his life, but it seemed that for once Malik had a worthy opponent."

* * *

><p>The dinner had ended earlier than accepted by Altair politely requesting he take leave as he was tired from his long journey. The request had been granted and made Malik relieved as he still had most of the day left to himself before departure late into the evening.<p>

"Rumour has it that he's quite handsome." Malik scoffed kicking the toe of his boot against the dusty ground."

"Did Kadar tell you that or was it a group of kitchen maids?" Rauf, head guardsman of the palace guard and one of Malik's closest friends, laughed as he pick up his sword belt and buckled it at his hip.

"Both told me that actually, your brother seems to have taken quite a liking to him."

"My brother takes a liking to everyone."

"I wonder where he learned that from, because it certainly wasn't from you." Rauf was still laughing even when Malik punched him in the arm.

The guard and the prince were in a courtyard just outside the palace walls where the royal guards lived and trained. It wasn't an unfamiliar sight to see Malik with Rauf at his side, dressed in trousers, boots and a lace up tunic and it certainly wasn't unfamiliar to see the two circling each other as they sparred, even if this past time was kept secret from the king.

Malik drew his sword; it was light and thin and suitable as it did not over power his balance. Rauf did the same although his sword was not quite as lithe. They circled one another, foot placement sure and soft as dust started to buff up from under the soles of their boots. Malik went for the first strike, a simple jab towards the abdominal which was easily parried and the sparring commenced.

"What do you and your men think of him so far?" Malik asked once they were well into the throws of mock battle.

"We have not seen much of him, but his men are good humoured even if they are tired and speak of their commander in good graces. Also his entrance into the city was surprising to us all, normally your suitors are carried upon pedestals surrounded with gold and gifts instead of riding upon horse back with their soldiers, I think we all respect him more for that."

Malik mulled the words over. Of course Altair was the commander of the Masyaf guard; he was the only child and a son at that so he had his respected place on the war council. It made Malik feel sour. One of the reasons his father needed to marry him off was because the Jerusalem guard was commanded by the king and his advisors rather than his eldest son like tradition dictates. Marrying Altair would mean a larger guard that would be commanded by a young Prince rather than being left to the council. After all, Faheem had forbade that Malik would command the army like his should and Kadar was not ready to handle the responsibility, but rules had never stopped Malik from doing as he wanted before.

"You're not going to make it easy for him are you" It was a statement more than a question. Malik smirked ducking under a blow to the shoulder and swinging a blow of his own to Rauf's side. Dust flew off the crowd as the guard skidded to try and avoid the mock strike.

"When have I ever made it easy for anyone?" Malik said, dropping the sword and grabbing hold of Rauf forearm to stop him from stumbling. Rauf smiled in his good natured way as his hand closed around Malik's forearm in typical soldier manner.

"It will certainly be an interesting journey."

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><p>Altair found Jerusalem fascinating. He walked through the grounds of the Palace without the escort of his guardsmen which he would probably be scolded for later, but exploring was never quite as fun when there was someone constantly making sure you were safe. Besides Altair's men all knew his habits by now, as irritating as they were.<p>

Walking along the top of the Palace walls the guards bowed and stepped out of his way as Altair passed, eyes eagerly scanning over the rest of the city shown before him. The streets were still busy and the noise was still loud even here. It was bright also, amber and orange and other colours to match the heavy sunlight, Altair could even see embodied rugs hanging from stalls in the upper class market and plumes of smoke rising from stoves deep within the mass of flat roved buildings. It would be perfect for running across, but he had been advised to stay within the palace walls until their departure. The guards of the wall looked at him as if he was insane which Altair sometimes thought he just might be.

Walking around towards the back of the palace grounds where fewer guards were posted, Altair hopped up to perch upon one of the battlements. This part of the wall overlooked the settlement the guards had made, including training rings, armouries, stables and small houses for members of the royal guard. The camp was busy as a the selected men prepared for their journey, saying goodbye to their families and Altair's men milled about within the narrow streets, some already chatting with the other guards which would hopefully make for a pleasant journey.

There was a shrill squeal which caught the prince's attention and Altair turned his gaze to the outskirt of the camp near the training rings. Prince Malik and one of his guardsmen walked side by side away from the training ring; they were dressed so similar it wasn't easy to tell the two apart and although Altair hated to think it, but if it wasn't for the pinned up sleeve of Malik's tunic then he would have passed a blind eye to the two.

A child had attached himself to Malik's leg and tugged on the hem of his tunic which had startled the young prince. Altair didn't know what he had expected, Malik had been hostile towards him but he didn't not bat away the child, only lowered his hand to pat his head before crouching down to the boys level. Altair smiled as he watched the two engage in conversation until the mother appeared with baby cradled in the crook of her arm, and the guardsman at Malik's side scooped the boy up into his arms. Perhaps it was the guardsman's family which would explain the familiarity shown between them and the prince.

"I told you he was soft hearted really." Altair almost jumped and fell off the battlement when the extra voice sounded. Twisting he saw Prince Kadar leaning on the wall at his side smiling softly up at him. Out of respect Altair stepped off the wall and brushed the soles of his boots against the stone.

"Stubborn, sarcastic, judgemental and somewhat impossible, but he is a caring brother and a good friend to his men...it just takes the right person to see it."

"You care deeply for your brother."

"How could I not?"

The young prince had started walking against and Altair eagerly followed. Altair knew he had a duty, if not to his homeland and to the kingdom of Jerusalem to successfully court Malik, but a part of him felt he suddenly had a duty to Kadar for it seemed that happiness was deeply shared between the brothers.


End file.
